Various styles of truck bed covers are available to provide environmental protection to the contents of a pickup truck bed. Some common styles include hinged tonneau covers that tilt up to open, roll-up tonneau covers, and truck bed caps that are also referred to as canopies, toppers and camper shells. Each style has its advantages and disadvantages, and some styles are better suited for certain applications.
In the past, a truck owner had to choose one type of cover to be installed, and once installed, it was a significant task to remove it and replace it with a different type of cover. Thus, truck owners have generally been limited to using only one or the other type of cover once they have made their choice.
What is needed, therefore, is a truck bed cover that may be deployed as a tonneau cover or as a canopy cover, and that may be easily converted between the two configurations.